other Possibilities

Syllabus

Reading Course Title “Operational Oceanography Observing” One credit

The class will consist of visits to local sites preceded by briefings in the classroom so we are familiar with the observation is  and what it is used for.  Examples are NOAA tide gauges and the NOAA COOPS office, the Wakefield National Weather Service Forecast Office, and the surface current radar sites.

Some of the trips may  take up to 4 hours.

Time – To be determined.

Fall 2015 ‘Reading’ Class

“Operational Oceanography Observing”

Rational – As oceanographers we often use data that is routinely produced by governmental agencies. Fortunately many of the groups that produce these data are based in our region so we can see the sampling sites and hear from the people that run the operations.

The class will consist of visits to local sites preceded by briefings in the classroom so we are familiar with the observation and what it is used for.

The tentative list of sites and the topic is:

Water level (tide gauge) observations

NOAA/NOS/COOPS office in Chesapeake maintains all the US tide gauges.  We will visit the operations office in Chesapeake and a working tide gauge station on the Chesapeake Bay Bridget Tunnel (first Island)  Useful weather observations are also made at the water level sites.

Location

. Website 

POC – Kate Bosley

Surface Currents

Surface currents are measured using high frequency radar (HFR). Teresa Garner Updyke operates 6 stations on our coast as part of MARACOOS (www.maracoos.org). We will visit  a site on Ocean View in Norfolk.  POC Teresa Garner.

Weather Forecast Office Wakefield

Data Integrations Sites

We will look at the various data aggregation sites where many types of data are made easily available. For example http://assets.maracoos.org/

Waves and coastal processes

The US Corps of Engineers operate a Field Research Facility at Duck, NC. Routine measurements of waves and beach processes are made here. Duck is the site of many field studies over the years.

Location

Website

POC

LTER Oyster

Satellite

NEERS York River

HRSD labs

Charting NOAA NGS group

TNC Exmore

VIMS Wachapreague

Routine bio sample – Margie or KC?

ACOE Norfolk

USGS Stream monitoring

USGS subsidence monitoring